Some Words Are Not For Civilised Society
by Of never nevermore
Summary: Sirius learns a lesson, Lily learns a word. And Severus, well, he's just doing what he should really... A rather pointless little insight into life for the first years... please R R, I take critisism well... :


"_Wingardium Levi _– "

"You're saying it wrong."

Sirius stopped in mid-cast and turned to frown at the little red-head beside him, looking innocent and slightly smug.

The Charms room was filled with the sounds of students loudly trying and failing to make the feather on the desks move- _without_ blowing or wafting them. Sirius was a good student who, up until now had succeeded in performing every spell he attempted. _Wingardium Leviosa_ however was proving, for whatever reason, to be rather difficult. His frustration at his brilliant self was beginning to show. Lily, with whom he had been paired, did not like to see him struggling so.

"What?" Sirius spat vehemently. "I haven't even finished the incantation! _Wingardium Le_ – "

"You're doing it wrong as well." Lily was watching her new partner perform with interest. She had already managed to perform the spell within twenty minutes, which was not unusual in itself, but it _was_ odd that she was had done it before Sirius; a fact which only added to his bad mood.

"What?" Sirius slammed his wand to the table and rounded on Lily, glaring with irritation in his narrowed grey eyes. Lily merely raised an eyebrow.

"You're swishing, but no flick." She explained flatly. Sirius paused, a little incredulous at the normally amicable Lily Evans.

"…I haven't finished yet, that's why!" He snarled, raising his voice as Lily glared coldly back at him.

A squeaking but stern voice came from somewhere behind their desk. "Mr Black is there a problem?" Professor Flitwick looked expectantly at Sirius, as did the rest of the class in a quiet lull of nosiness.

He could see James and Madeline smirking at them from across the room. Annoyed at his inability to achieve the spell and aggravated further by the stares and grins of his friends and classmates, Sirius was at the end of his tether with Lily and her know-it-all attitude. His already flushed face darkened.

"No sir, sorry." He replied. With a dark glance at Lily once Flitwick was out of earshot, he added: "Anyway, people like _you_ shouldn't be giving _me_ hints on improving spells."

"Sorry? People like me..?" Lily could tell from his tone that his words were not friendly.

"You're Muggle-born." There was a pregnant pause in which Lily simply blinked at Sirius who was watching with a tiny smirk to see how she would react.

"And…? Why should that matter?" She tried to sound adequately offended, though she was more curious than anything. Sirius quietly scoffed as though he were talking to an idiot.

"You've never seen the spell before today; _you_ don't know what it's like; how can _you_ possibly perform better than me, you're just a Mudblood." His voice was dripping with the arrogance he had been raised with and which still surfaced in even this less conventional Black. As if to prove his point Sirius raised his wand and with perfect eloquence he said: "Wingardium Leviosa."

His feather lifted off from the table as though it were never there, falling backwards through the air with dancing beauty and speed. The rest of the class looked on both impressed and disappointed, and Flitwick of course, proceeded to excitedly extol the re-established class prodigy. Sirius smirked at Lily with the distinct air of 'see, I told you so'. Lily scowled, reaffirmed in her dislike for Sirius Black, and _all_ of his friends by default.

"…Bet you've been doing illegal magic then." She whispered under Flitwick's appraising squeaks. Sirius just shrugged haughtily.

"Well if I have, at least _I_ knew what I was doing."

* * *

><p>"Hey Sev!"<p>

"Hey, how was Charms?" Severus smiled at the red-head who was bounding down the marble staircase to the Great Hall for lunch.

"Ok. We did levitation today." She said as she caught him up half way down the stairs.

"Whoa, seriously? That's a bit early isn't it?" His look of amazement was justified. Levitation was a month ahead of schedule- and he knew: he had a copy of all his subject syllabuses.

"Well, Professor Flitwick says our class is quite advanced…" She said matter-of-factly. She sidelong glanced at her best friend nervously as they reached the Entrance Hall. "Erm, Sevvy?" She bit her lip, unsure of how- if at all- to approach it. "What- er…what's a Mudblood?"

Severus stopped dead in his tracks as though he walked into a brick wall, completely tense. He turned to look at her frowning slightly, jumping to the obvious conclusion. "What? Someone called you a- a- a Mudblood? Who?"

Lily shuffled a little, not looking directly at Severus. "Erm, no it's nothing just, that Sirius Black said – "

"_Black_ called _you_ a Mudblood?" The blackness of his eyes somehow became ten shades darker. Lily suddenly regretted asking. She had no idea it was such a big deal; it was just a word after all…

"Well, yeah, but wh – " Without waiting to hear her finish he turned on his heel, his face an ugly shade of puce, and marched into the Great Hall.

"Black!" Sirius turned to see Severus Snape storming up the aisle, with Lily hurrying in his wake. James, Remus and Peter's grins faltered as they watched him draw nearer, fury in his eyes. Sirius was a little confused, as Snape rarely confronted them like this, and never with such raw anger.

Before he could even properly turn in his seat, Severus shouted: "Who the _hell_ do you think you are, acting all high and mighty, mouthing off and insulting people?"

Sirius blinked. "To hell if I know what you're talking about Snivellus. How dare you come – !"

"How dare _you_ – "

"Sev, please, it – " Lily grabbed Severus' arm trying to pull him away, wishing desperately she had said nothing, and that the teachers didn't notice the commotion. He was having none of it.

" – go about insulting people you know _nothing_ about!" Severus' rage was formidable; Sirius was even a little apprehensive: he had no idea what was going on. The surprise attack had rendered those in the vicinity powerless. Severus drew his wand and pointed it in Sirius' face. Everyone who was watching held their breath. "You take it back! Lily is a brilliant witch, she's worth ten of you!"

"Severus, stop honestly – " Lily pleaded with God that they remained undetected by the majority of school and the teachers.

Sirius jumped up from his seat, Severus following his movement with his wand but he seemed incapable in his anger to form a good hex. Sirius was now enraged himself; whatever he had done or said was clearly a serious matter, but he wasn't having Snape threatening him like this.

"How is it your business what goes on between Evans and I, you little – !"

"It matters everything. She my friend – " He hissed back through gritted teeth, almost incoherent in his outrage.

"Oh, congratulations, you have a friend!" Sirius mocked, now as red as Snape.

Lily stopped tugging on Severus' robes, and jabbed her finger at Black, after all, Severus _was_ her best friend. "Oi! You watch what you say to Severus, Black – "

"What _is_ the problem here Black, Snape, miss Evans?" The appearance of Professor McGonagall, nostrils flaring, startled all of them, though the boys did not that their eyes of each other. Lily squeaked.

"No- no! It's nothing, really – "

"Yes there is!" Sirius rounded on McGonagall, pointing at Snape. "_He_ comes over here, holding forth, accusing me – "

"Well someone has to!" Severus interrupted, lowering his wand to form balled fists at his sides. "Lily's Muggle-born, she doesn't know any better!"

"Mr Snape!" McGonagall stared at Snape in surprise. "You would do well to think before you speak. I fail to see how miss Evans' parentage might affect whatever – "

"No _I_ know that, tell _him_!" He whined impatiently, nodding at Black, "_He_ called her a Mudblood!"

There was a collective little gasp and a hush in the immediate area that to those involved sounded as though the entire room were listening closely. Sirius frowned slightly, puzzled; Severus' chest was heaving. Lily gulped and turned to McGonagall.

"… Professor, it – "

"Is this true, Mr Black?" she demanded quietly.

"Well, yeah. But it's true, she _is_ a Mudblood." Sirius looked quite confused as they gasped in shock again. Even his friends were staring at him as though they had never seen him before, well, except for Remus who looked nonplussed.

Professor McGonagall looked furious, her lips so thin they were invisible. "Mr Black, five points from Gryffindor."

"But – !"

"That is not the sort of language we accept at Hogwarts, or in any civilised conversation, Black. You would do well to hold your tongue."

"But- I don't see how it's an insult- she _is_ – " Sirius shook his head looking from Lily to Severus (who was glaring through narrowed disbelieving eyes at him) to McGonagall totally at sea.

"Just because somebody is not of pure ancestry," she uttered those last words with distinct distain, "does not mean they have dirty blood. There is nothing to say it makes any difference at all to magical ability."

Sirius looked at his friends briefly who maintained their stony expressions. "Really?" he muttered, more to himself. "…So what do we call them?"

"_They are Muggleborns." _She said with an air of incredulity.

"Okay, but what are _we _supposed to call them if not M-Mudblood?" he asked cautiously.

"Muggleborns, Black, for that is what they are!" It was like speaking to a toddler, she couldn't believe that he did not understand it.

"…So it's- it's an _offensive_ term – ?"

"Indeed. And extremely inappropriate." McGonagall replied with exasperation. It made sense when she thought about it. However much he may shun his parents' beliefs, there were some things so deeply embedded into the fabric of Sirius' basic upbringing, that he had a hard time coming to realise the truth.

He might be independent and highly moral, but he was still only an eleven year old child and was yet to discover the world beyond the Black prejudices. In fact, all the evidence so far proved his parents beliefs: Sirius was an exceptional student, a quicker and better learner than Lily Evans (though not by much). "Especially for such an intelligent young Gryffindor like yourself."

"Oh…" Sirius merely scuffed his feet avoiding Lily's eyes. There was an awkward pause.

"So apologise to miss Evans, Black." McGonagall gently insisted.

"Yeah…sorry."

"S'okay…" She accepted, not sure if she meant it or not.

"Right, now, Snape if you would return your wand to your pocket and go to your own table. Evans, Black, resume your seats and meals please." Slowly the three of them (and the rest of the room) began to move. Severus was still fixedly watching Sirius, breathing heavily; but Sirius returned to his seat looking thoughtful.

"See ya later, Lily…" Severus mumbled, replacing his wand into the folds of his robe.

"'Kay Sev…thanks." She smiled weakly but meaningfully at her Slytherin best friend, who had defended her so passionately. In all honesty, she thought the issue well overblown; after all, it was just a word right? Severus smiled back and wandered over to the Slytherin table followed by a few stares on the way. Lily sat down beside Sirius, neither acknowledging the other, and turned to their respective friends and meals...

...But Lily couldn't ignore the enthusiasm with which Severus fought for her. He truly cared for her that much? She supposed she'd do the same for him though; she had many times, that's what friends do, isn't it? She loved him, but that fire in his eyes was something she never thought she could muster. Maybe there was something more to Severus' feelings than she knew. But then maybe that was just Sev: her strange, tormented, loyal Sev… that's just how he is…


End file.
